Jackson is the only city and county seat of Jackson County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 31,309. Located along Interstate 94 and U.S. Route 127, it is approximately 40 miles west of Ann Arbor and 35 miles south of Lansing. Jackson is the core city of the Jackson Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes all of Jackson County and population of 160,248.Founded in 1829, it was named after President Andrew Jackson.